


Santa's Little Helper

by sponsormusings



Category: Hunger Games (2012), Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Christmas, F/M, Holidays, Prompts in Panem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-14
Updated: 2013-12-14
Packaged: 2018-01-04 15:52:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1082887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sponsormusings/pseuds/sponsormusings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An elf costume, a wishes box, and a secret Santa tradition with unexpected results - Christmas this year is a little different for Katniss Everdeen... </p><p>A submission for Prompts in Panem, Holidays in Panem. Prompt - Everlark during the holiday season.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Santa's Little Helper

Katniss Everdeen tugged on the short bright red skirt that flared at mid-thigh - _ridiculously short, in her opinion_ \- until she felt comfortable enough in it. She was thankful the striped tights she had to wear with them were mandatory and ensured she avoided any wardrobe malfunctions. The last thing she needed to do today was flash some unsuspecting parent with their iPhone.

Piped music echoed through the speakers, a pumped up version of a song she remembered clearly from childhood, while a skinny brunette stood nearby, her short hair mussed and her focus solely on the camera in her hand. And even from here, in the little snow covered house, tucked away from the hustle and bustle, Katniss could hear the constant wail of a small child.

She still wondered how Madge had talked her into this.

"I still don't know how you talked me into this," Katniss echoed her own thoughts aloud, planted her hands on her hips. Madge laughed, tying off the ribbon that circled her wavy blonde hair like a headband.

"We need more money for summer vacation, yeah?"

"Yeah...."

"And the rec centre is closed this month for renovations."

"Yeah...."

"Which means no archery lessons for you to teach." Madge finished.

Katniss shrugged, pulling on the skirt hem again. She knew her friend was right.

"This job pays like twice than any of the others in the mall do," Madge said firmly.  "Yeah, there's the chance we'll get barfed on or bitten. But it's just for three weeks. And at the end, we'll have a big chunk of money to head over to Oregon with."

Katniss sighed, tugged on her braid, startling herself at the jingling sound that echoed in her ear. _Dammit, she'd forgotten the bells tied to the end of her hair._ Madge had hit her motivation right on the head. Without this, she wouldn't be able to go on the hiking trek she'd desperately wanted to do for the last year, and that her friends - finally - had agreed to join her on. The unexpected renovations of the rec centre after a particularly bad snow storm the month before had put a hitch in those plans - until Madge had come up with this gig.  She shrugged. "Fine, you're right. But I won't be in the photos, right? I won't have to smile?"

"You won't be in the photos," Madge affirmed. "You won't have to smile."

********

_She had to damn well smile._

Kid after kid came and sat on the little seat beside Santa’s throne, eagerly spouting about what _Paw Patrol_ toy they wanted, or what new game was at the top of their list. 'Santa' laughed and promised and _ho ho ho_ 'd his way through the afternoon, while Katniss alternated between grimacing at the camera for that years' framed Christmas shot, and glaring bitterly at Madge.

"I swear I didn't know!" Madge exclaimed as they took a quick break, the skinny photographer putting the ' _Off to the toy factory, back soon!'_ sign on the little white gate that led to Santa's snow covered garden and red and gold seat. Katniss gulped down the bottled water they'd stored in a cooler behind a fake tree and glowered. "When Dad organised this he said all we had to do was lead the kids to Santa, put their Christmas wish in the wishes box, then send them back to their mom or whoever."

Katniss shrugged. "It's done now. What can I do about it?"

"I know.  I'm sorry," Madge apologised, but Katniss caught the smile that tugged at the corner of her friends lips.

"Go on, laugh at my expense, _Miggles_ ," Katniss retorted, using the pet name she'd only recently found out about. Madge blushed.

"Gale told you?!" She exclaimed in horror.

"He's one of my best friends, Madge," Katniss reminded her. "He might be your boyfriend, but he's been _my_ friend forever."

"Asshole," Madge muttered, eyes narrowing. "He'll get what's coming when I get back to campus."

Katniss held herself off from making a wildly inappropriate comment while there were small children around, and sighed when the photographer took the break sign away. Santa boomed out a ' _Merry Christmas young man!'_ and Katniss knew they were back on.

 _Only three weeks_ , she reminded herself.

********

"And then we have to empty the 'wishes box' at the end of the day so it’s ready for the next, and also try and get rid of them without any nosy kids still milling about. We had a look at a couple, and while most are pretty cute and sweet, others are _hilarious_ ," Madge laughed, snuggling into the arm Gale slung around her shoulders. She picked at a nacho, popped it in her mouth. "One asked for a new sister because the one they had was a 'whiny baby'."

Katniss nodded in agreement. "Another wanted the new PS4, and gave Santa a pretty dire ultimatum if he didn't get it. These kids are hard-core."

Their first day had come to a close, and they'd met up with their group of friends for dinner at their local diner. They had all clicked within the first month of college, old friendships, shared classes and dorm rooms bringing them together. Katniss had been somewhat of a loner throughout high school, her only real and constant friend being Gale, whom she'd known since she was 12. Having a close circle of friends still seemed utterly absurd to her.

"Maybe I should go drop a wish for a new PS4 in the box, with no ultimatums or death threats," Thom joked.

"Or maybe just for a new t-shirt. For god's sake, Thom, how long you gonna wear that threadbare Stones shirt for?" Delly retorted, flipping her long trail of blonde curls over her shoulder.

"Foreverrrrrr," he rolled his eyes, sucked down the last of the cherry soda he'd ordered, and puffed out the chest that was more lanky than broad.  “Or at least until you admit you want me.”

“No I don’t!” Delly squeaked.

_They all knew she did._

“So you guys have to do this every day for the next three weeks?” Annie asked, her soft voice barely heard over the din of the restaurant.  

Katniss nodded.  “Well, close.  We get a few days off, but we’re mostly just working it around our class schedule.  There are two other teams of two who man Santa’s Wonderland when we aren’t here.”

“And this hike is important enough to you to want to hang out with kids for the next few weeks?” Finnick queried.  Everyone knew he was the least enthusiastic about the trip; his preference had been for the beach, windsurfing and cocktails, which was exactly what they’d done the previous summer.

“Course it is, Finn,” Peeta grinned, his blue eyes bright with laughter.  “She’s been crapping on about it for months. Hasn't shut up about it.” Katniss punched him in the arm.

“Shut up Mellark,” she warned, scowling.  Only Peeta Mellark would have the nerve to make fun of her - even Gale, after all these years, knew better than to try and be a smart ass. She turned to Finnick, arms folding across her chest indignantly.  “But yes, it is that important.  You guys all have your interests; why can’t I?”

“Just ignore him, Katniss,” Gale laughed.  “Get him out there in a tent under the stars, he’ll change his mind soon enough.”

“As long as I’m not sharing with anyone but Annie, I’ll be fine.” Finnick winked lazily.

“No one would want to share with you anyway, Odair,” Katniss retorted, smothering a yawn.  She glanced at her watch and with a sigh, tossed her purse into the oversized duffle that housed her elf costume.  She pulled her jacket out, slipping it on along with the scarf Prim had knitted her the previous winter, in about a million different shades of green.  “Ok, I’m done.  I'm gonna head back to campus before I fall asleep at this table.  I’ll catch you guys later.” She stood, gave a quick wave and threw a couple of notes on the table before moving towards the diner entrance and out into the biting wind.  Winter could kiss her ass.  She hated the snow, hated the wind, hated the cold, and spent the months waiting - impatiently - for spring to arrive.  It did nothing but make her grumpy and annoyed - probably _not_ the best disposition for an Elf.  Digging her hands into her pockets, she began the short walk back to campus, her footsteps brisk and assured across the snow-dusted pathway.

“Katniss, wait up!” she heard the voice call out, and half-turned to see Peeta jogging awkwardly towards her.  She knew he’d injured his knee in a soccer game his final year of high school, and when it was as cold as it was tonight, the pain would inevitably come and his limp would be more pronounced. He smiled as he reached her.  “I need to head back too - I have a final tomorrow that I need to finish studying for.”

She looked at him incredulously.  “You came out for dinner, and you still have a final to study for?”

Peeta shrugged.  “I couldn’t concentrate, and Finnick kept bugging me till I agreed.  And I haven’t seen everyone for a while, so figured I should make an effort.”

“Fair enough,” Katniss replied.  She began walking again, a little slower now with Peeta beside her.  She tucked her chin into the scarf, thankful to have something to cover her cheeks.  They walked in silence, both having found a long time ago that for them, silence was just as good - sometimes better - than talking.  Peeta respected the fact she didn’t feel the need to talk all the time, and for that, she was grateful.

But tonight it was cold and she swore if she didn't talk her throat would freeze.

"Looking forward to Christmas?" She ventured. Peeta shrugged.

"I'm not going home this year, so it'll be quiet. But I guess at least I won't have to see my mom."

"You guys still don't get along?" She asked sympathetically. She knew exactly how not getting along with a parent felt.

"You could say that," he replied wryly. "Anyway, what about you? Going home?"

"Nope. I went for Thanksgiving, and my mom is a nurse and got the day shift for Christmas. My sister is spending it with her boyfriend’s family; I'm spending it with probably a microwaveable dinner in the dorm."

"Maybe we should all do like a left behind Christmas, because I know Finnick, Annie and Delly aren’t going away either."

"Maybe." Katniss shrugged noncommittally - by Christmas she may just simply be ready to crawl into a cupboard and sleep for a week.  She looked up to see they'd reached her dorm, and she reached into her pocket to palm her keys. "Thanks for the walk. I'll catch you later?"

Peeta nodded. "Catch you later. Night Katniss." He walked away, whistling quietly as his breath puffed out like smoke.

She ignored the squiggle in her belly that had begun to appear whenever she spent time with Peeta. It felt odd.

_And you weren’t supposed to have squiggly feelings about one of your best friends anyway._

********

Day two and three flew by, and Katniss managed to avoid any temper tantrums or tears or downright snotty kids who believed Santa was their own personal shopper.

Day four was the complete opposite, and she was going to return home that night with vomit on her tights and what felt like a chunk of hair torn from her head. The only thing that had gotten her through was an impromptu visit from Finnick and Annie, where she'd watched as they'd sat on Santa's knee and whispered silly secrets in his ear.

She slumped into a chair by the table in the little house that took centre stage behind Santa's throne, waited for Madge to bring the wishes box in for them to empty. She rubbed her arches, the ache in them constant after standing up for almost 5 hours; her day off tomorrow was like a prized possession that still looked a little out of reach.

"Finally, all the kids have gone!" Madge announced, traipsing through the door with the cheesy candy-cane covered box in hand, Johanna - the photographer - close behind her. "Got the trash bag?"

Katniss nodded, but held her hand out first. "Come on, today was shit. Let me cheer up and read some of the cards."

Madge laughed and placed the box on the table, while Johanna dropped into the chair beside Katniss. She was a surprise choice as a photographer, really - a little snippy, a lot sassy and she didn't take any shit from anyone. She didn't coo at the babies or smile sweetly at the kids as they showed off missing teeth as they grinned for their photo.

Katniss still hadn't decided if she liked her or not.

Popping open the small lock on the front of the box, the lid flew open, revealing it to be stuffed with the red and gold cards that they encouraged the kids to fill out. Digging her hand in like she was picking a name out of a bowl, she selected a card at random, reading the childish scrawl across it. Disappointed in its normalness, she picked another.

Soon enough Jo and Madge had joined in, and they were either smiling at the sincerity of the kids wishes or laughing til their stomachs ached at the sheer audacity of others. The laughter felt good after a day of gritting her teeth and steeling herself from rolling her eyes.

Plucking one last card - _she really needed to go and get dinner, she was bloody starving_ \- she was surprised at its different texture, at the green pattern that bordered its edges. She flipped it over, read the carefully printed words.

_"All I want for Christmas is Katniss Everdeen."_

She narrowed her eyes at it, read it twice more as the words echoed in her head. Then she threw it at Madge.

"Very funny," she snapped. "I was just joking when I called you Miggles the other day. But fine, you’ve got me back."

Madge picked up the card, her mouth forming a perfect O as she read it. "I didn't do this, Katniss," she said firmly, her eyes wide. Katniss turned to Johanna, eyebrow raised.

"Don't look at me," she retorted, snatching the card and reading it. "I got better things to do than declare my love for someone I don't even know." She tossed it on the top of the pile, but Katniss snatched it back, reading the words over and over again.

She'd only had one boyfriend, and he'd turned out to be an asshole. Since starting college, she'd remained studiously single - she didn't need a guy, or a relationship, anytime soon. She was just fine as she was, thank you very much.

_"All I want for Christmas is Katniss Everdeen."_

Except now she was intrigued, and a slight flutter had started up under her breastbone. But she banked it, stamped it down. It was probably nothing. Someone playing a joke, that's all. Nothing more nothing less.

She tossed it in the trash bag with the others.

********

It didn't stop her, two days later, from keeping her eyes trained on the wishes box like a hawk. But unless a secret admirer was about 7 years old with a cowlick, she was bang out of luck.

Definitely a joke then.

********

Happily finishing at 3pm two days later - allowing her time to actually go shopping because she sure as hell hadn't bought a single present so far - she headed for the gift store that carried the glass figurines that Prim liked to collect and Katniss had no time for. She'd seen one that looked like a bird in flight, and as it appealed to her love of nature, she’d acquiesced on this occasion. She purchased it quickly, then headed to a funky guys clothing store where she had seen a t-shirt earlier that week that would be perfect for Thom. They were doing secret Santa again this year, and she'd drawn Thom's name out of the hat. It wasn't until Delly bitched at him about buying a new shirt that Katniss figured out what to get him, and knew the Bruce Springsteen shirt was right up his alley.

“Katniss! What are you doing in here?”

Katniss whirled guiltily, clutching the bag containing the now purchased shirt to her chest.   _Shit_.

“Oh hey, Peeta.  Just, uh, doing some Christmas shopping.”

He smiled, lifted the bags he held in his own hands.  “Me too.  Figured I should get some stuff to send to my family seeing as I’m not going home.”

“What did you get?” she asked automatically.

“Uh, like a new Mixmaster thing for my dad, both my brothers are getting new hockey jerseys and I got my mom a gift voucher.”

“Didn’t know what to get her?”

“She doesn’t like anything,” Peeta shrugged.  “I’ve never known her to be interested in anything or have any hobbies, so I just do the same thing each year.”

They stood awkwardly, before Peeta cleared his throat.  “Uh, so what have you bought?”

“I...can’t tell you,” she grimaced.  “You know, that whole secret Santa thing?”

He nodded knowingly.  “Of course.  At least I can narrow yours down to one of 4 people now, seeing as we’re in a guy’s store,” he winked.

“Or I bought Delly a fedora,” Katniss retorted, and Peeta laughed.

“Touché.”  He glanced down at the floor, then back up at her again.  “Uh, I spoke to Finnick about Christmas day, if you’re keen to catch up.  With us, and Delly I mean.  So we’re not all loners in our own places.”

Katniss considered it, thought about the day under the blankets she’d planned, one day of utter and complete laziness before she got back to studying like crazy.  But part of her felt depressed at the thought of being alone on such a day, so she nodded.  “Ok.  Just at Finn and Annie’s? BYO food and drink?”

Peeta hummed in agreement.  “Yep.  I mean, they have the biggest place out of all of us, what with living off campus now.  But I should see you before Christmas, right?”

“Maybe.  I’m pretty busy being Santa’s Little Helper, in and around studying, though.”

“True,” Peeta replied, his tone a little quieter than before.  “Well, if I don’t see you before then...I’ll see you at Finnick and Annie’s.”

“I’ll see you then.”

********

She _was_ busy.  Kids came to visit Santa in lines that trailed around in circles, wails and grumbles punctuating the sounds of the Little Drummer Boy or Jingle Bells. She was glad she had shopped when she did, because on her other days off she simply fell into bed and slept, dreaming of kids in reindeer costumes and wild Grinch-like hair.

As Christmas got closer, Santa’s _ho ho ho_ ’s got a little less enthusiastic, and Katniss couldn’t even pretend to smile for the photos.  Weary parents stood, impatiently or otherwise, waiting for a trip to Santa that they wished they’d taken their kid to weeks earlier.

There were no other notes for Katniss.

_Not that she was looking or anything._

But she did think of it from time to time.

In the end, she didn’t see Peeta leading up to Christmas.  She only saw Madge because she was her roommate, and as a result, Gale.  Not seeing Peeta kind of made her sad, though she refused to think about _that_ very much at all.  I mean, she missed seeing Finnick and Annie and Delly and Thom too…

 _Just not as much_.

********

Katniss knocked on the warm cherry wood door, the golden ‘4’ shined to a gleam.  She’d slept later than she’d intended, warm under her quilt and nice dreams of green woods, sapphire lakes and fields of buttery yellow dandelions, and had to rush to Annie and Finnick’s apartment on foot.  She didn’t have time to scrape the ice off her car and, really, the walk would do her good.  In the weeks leading up to Christmas, she’d barely seen outside, the mall and her dorm room the only places she saw with any regularity.

The door swung open, and Annie’s long dark hair waved around her face.  “Merry Christmas, Katniss,” Annie greeted, kissing Katniss’ cheek softly.  Annie was really the only person - other than Prim - that she would ever let get away with anything like that.  She smiled.

“Merry Christmas, Annie.  Sorry I’m a little late.”

Annie opened the door wider, allowing Katniss to step inside.  Unwinding her scarf and slipping off her jacket, she hung them on the small coat rack she knew Annie had salvaged from a second hand store.  “You’re not late at all.  Delly and Peeta only just arrived, and Finnick is just in the kitchen now, finishing everything off.”

“Finnick cooking?” Katniss raised an eyebrow, and Annie chuckled.

“First time for everything, I know. We may end up eating ramen noodles like regular college students, but for now he’s giving the ham a go.”

She stepped into the small dining area that angled off from the L shape of their living room; saw Delly and Peeta, cups of something likely heavily laced with alcohol already in hand. Delly waved - a little unnecessary since they were in the same room - and Peeta smiled, tipping his cup in her direction.

“Hey Katniss!” Finnick called from the kitchen.

“Hey.”

“Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas.”

“How is it outside?”

“Cold.”

“Did you find out who your card was from?”

“Huh?  What?” Katniss started at the abrupt change in topic.

Finnick walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron with a picture of a buff naked body adorned only with specifically placed mistletoe, wiping his hands on a dishcloth. “Well, we haven’t seen you in ages, and Madge told us last week about your secret admirer.  Did you hear anything more?”

Katniss rolled her eyes, accepted the mug of eggnog Peeta held out to her. “Madge needs to learn to quit while she’s ahead.  But no I haven’t.  I’m pretty sure it was just a lame joke.”

“That’s a shame,” Delly sighed.  “I thought it was quite romantic.”

“You would,” Katniss replied.  She shrugged.  “It’s fine.  I don’t need-”

“A boyfriend, yes we know,” Finnick grinned, though she knew - all joking aside - that he understood her.  “But a nice little cuddle over Christmas never goes astray.”

“Eh,” Katniss replied blithely, guiltily thinking of Peeta and gulping down the hot liquid, scalding her tongue.

As the day wore on - as food was ingested, copious drinks consumed, and bad carol karaoke was instigated by Delly and Finnick - Katniss was glad she hadn’t stayed at home.  Even without Prim - and to an extent, her mom - there with her, she still felt like she was with family. She watched as Finnick and Annie snuck a kiss at the kitchen counter, as Delly tried to hide the fact that each time her phone pinged with a message, Katniss could see Thom’s name as clear as day.  She tried not to watch Peeta, and she wondered if that made it obvious.  But there were a few times she caught him looking at her, so it all evened out.  

She wondered if she had gravy still on her face from lunch, and that’s what he kept staring at.

She fell asleep that night, after leaving with the promise to see them on the 27th for the big secret Santa exchange, wondering when she’d changed from being mildly pre-occupied with Peeta Mellark, to thinking about him all the time.

********

“Are you missing your elf costume, Katniss?” Madge grinned, as she slipped the candy cane earring into her ear.

“Hardly,” Katniss rolled her eyes, double-tying the knot on her grey Vans and straightening up.  “I happily farewelled those tights when I handed them back this morning.”

“It wasn’t all _that_ bad in the end was it?” Madge asked.  “I mean, we got some good money, and you got that sweet little note.”

Katniss snorted.  “Which was clearly a joke.  I swear if I find out later it was you…..”

“It wasn’t!  Maybe it was one of the little boys who came and thought you were pretty.”

“7 year old boys don’t know my surname, and most certainly wouldn’t want me over a new Transformer or some shit, Madge.  For real.  And I should ream you out for telling the others about it.”

Madge grinned, grabbed her purse and the gift she had hastily wrapped not five minutes before off of their sofa. “Well, either way, it was sweet.  I’m still intrigued – and like I _wouldn’t_ tell the others.  Anyway, let’s get going, I need to get drunk and get my secret Santa gift!”

They were last to arrive - as usual, Madge wasn’t the most tardy of people - and Katniss couldn’t help but laugh at the variety of ugly Christmas sweaters people had managed to dig out for this year’s tradition.  Finnick’s sweater had a skiing Santa on it; Gale’s a Rudolph with sunglasses.  Delly’s had a hideous fluorescent Christmas tree, Peeta’s had reindeer dancing in a conga line. Her snowflake sweater paled in comparison.

“Finally!” Finnick laughed as they tried stealthily to place their gifts under the tree.  “We’ve been waiting forever.”

“Shut up Finnick,” Madge swatted him on the arm.  “Where’s my drink?”

He picked up a beer from where it rested by his elbow at the kitchen counter and held it out to her with a grin.  “Right here, sugar.”

Madge grabbed it, making her way over to Gale where he was engaged in a PlayStation battle with Thom - _someone’s_ Christmas wish had come true, Katniss thought with a wry grin.

They got down to the important business quickly, Madge tasked with the role of handing out the gifts this year.  Katniss’ parcel was small, and squishy, and she squeezed it for a moment before tearing open the wrapping paper.  Her lips turned up slightly into a smile as she saw the beanie in various shades of green. It was soft, the wool feeling like clouds under her fingertips. She yanked it over her head, pulling her long braid over her shoulder as she did so. _Fit like a glove._

"Thank you, secret Santa," she announced over the din of everyone else opening their gifts, and she got 7 ' _Merry Late Christmas!'_ s in return. Folding up the paper she got the gift in, she glanced absently at the label. _Merry Christmas Katniss_ it pronounced it careful, precise script. And it lodged in her head, like a little warning bell, like a faint feeling of Deja vu.

_All I want for Christmas is Katniss Everdeen._

Her eyes flew up, glancing around the room as the realisation hit her. _Someone in their group of friends had sent her that card._ And considering 4 of them were already paired up, and two others were currently pretending _not_ to be staring at each other, it only left one person.  Unless it was a joke…

Katniss flicked her eyes over to Peeta, waited for him to turn to her. He smiled warmly as he did so, until she held up the label, tapping her finger against the words, her eyebrow cocked in question. As the blood drained from his face, and his eyes widened in horror, she had her answer.

Her breath caught in her throat, and she stood up abruptly, moving over to the glass door that led to the small patio. Pushing the curtain aside, and quickly opening and closing the door behind her, she took in a deep breath. It was cold, the deck was covered in snow, but she didn't care. She just needed to breathe and the frigid air cleared her head.

_Why had Peeta put that card in the box? Was she meant to find it? Did he mean it? Was he just joking with her, as he so often did?_

Wrapping her fingers around the frozen balustrade, she ignored the numbness in her fingers, the way her hands slowly turned white. She ignored the door opening and closing behind her.

"Uh......" his voice was soft, tentative, _worried._ "Katniss, I'm sorry about the card. I didn't mean to offend you or anything, I just thought...."

"Offend me?" She turned at this, folding her arms across her chest to warm them. "Peeta, if that card was from you, why did you do it? You know I hate it when you make fun of me."

His mouth dropped open. "Make _fun_ of you, Katniss? That wasn't - isn't my intention at all. I was going to tell you, then, I guess....my secret Santa handwriting is a dead giveaway. I need to work on that." His eyes warmed a little. "I was going to tell you on Christmas day that it was from me, that I got Finnick to put it in the box when they came and visited you. And then I was going to tell you….I changed my mind because I didn't want to ruin your day if you didn't care."

"Tell me what?" She asked quietly. Her heart thudded like a drum.

"That everything on that card was true. All I want for Christmas, Katniss, is you. And I have for a long time."

"Why?" She asked plaintively.

"You have no idea, do you?” He ran a hand through the blond hair that she’d thought about a little too often.  “Katniss, there's just something about you. I don't know what it is, but I want it. And I want you. But I won't be offended if you turn me down."

"Wait, what?" Katniss sputtered as his final words hit her. "Turn you down?"

"Well yeah," Peeta shrugged awkwardly. "I mean I don't know if-"

"You make my belly squiggly," she blurted, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"What?"

She blushed. "You....you make my belly squiggly. When you look at me. Or talk to me. Or...." she trailed off, watched the smile slowly creep across his face.

"Really?"

"Really."

He stepped towards her then, cupping her cold cheeks in his warm hands, fingertips sliding up into her hair. Then his mouth was on hers, his lips firm and soft and tasting like apple cider, and he was sucking on her lower lip, his teeth grazing across the skin and sending something a lot stronger than a squiggle to her core.

She let her lips part and his tongue slid across her lip before tangling with hers. She unfolded her arms, gripped the front of the ridiculous knitted jumper he wore and yanked him closer to her. He pressed her against the cold balustrade but she didn't even notice. The warmth of his body lined up against hers, the way he was kissing her like his life depended on it fired her blood enough to keep her warm for a hundred lifetimes.

Katniss tipped her head slightly to the side, deepening the kiss, the moan soft but clear as it rumbled in his throat. It did nothing but spur her on, and she couldn't think beyond the sliding of his tongue against hers, the eager movements of his lips, the way his fingers clenched in her hair. In the quiet night, there was only the sound of their breaths, and the faint brush of denim and against denim as they tried to get as close as they could.

Peeta pulled away, his breathing as laboured as hers.  He smiled at her, his thumbs brushing against her cheekbones. “I’ve waited forever to do that you know,” he whispered.

“Then I guess your wish came true,” Katniss said quietly.

“I guess it did.”

“Maybe….maybe mine did too.”

“That’s nice to hear,” Peeta murmured.

She smoothed her hands across his chest, slid them up so they linked behind his neck.  She twirled a lock of hair at the nape of his neck and tugged slightly.  “But don’t ever quote Mariah Carey at me again, deal?”

He grinned. “Deal.”

She kissed him again, and for once, she didn’t care about the cold weather.  She didn’t even feel it.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N -Thanks for reading! Happy holidays to you all.
> 
> I can be found on tumblr at sponsormusings, where Prompts in Panem lives, and where there are countless terrific submissions by some amazing authors :)
> 
> Thanks to my usual peeps for their never ending encouragement.


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